Nintendo Switch 2 sales over the holidays reportedly fell short of those recorded by the console's predecessor back in 2017, during its first end-of-year season.

As revealed by The Game Business, Switch 2 sales in the US and within key markets in Europe fell behind the equivalent pace of Switch 1 — something an unnamed senior Nintendo source blamed on a "complicated" economic climate today, and the "absence of a major Western game" during the year-end period.

That particular analysis will likely raise eyebrows among Nintendo fans, as the company launched the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond during the period — albeit to a more muted critical response than the franchise's beloved original trilogy. Nintendo has so far made no announcement on how that game has fared.

The Game Business reports that US Switch 2 sales over the holiday period were down around 35% versus the Switch 1's sales performance back in 2017. In the UK, a similar comparison saw Switch 2 lagging Switch 1 by 16%. Even in Nintendo's homeland of Japan, Switch 2 holiday sales couldn't match Switch 1, and were down by 5.5% over the year's final nine weeks.

In France, 2025's final tally of Switch 2 sales was down by "over 30%" versus the amount Switch 1 notched up back in 2017, meanwhile.

While these numbers may take some of the shine off of a successful first year for Switch 2 overall, it's not all doom and gloom. Switch 2's lifetime sales in Japan are still above what Switch 1 managed in its first year, with less time on sale. And in the UK, Switch 1 continued to sell well enough that it made up Switch 2's holiday sales deficit.

Looking ahead, Nintendo has a smattering of first-party games already planned for 2026, including Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, as well as Switch 2 upgrades for Super Mario Wonder and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There's also the FromSoftware exclusive The Duskbloods to look forward to, and the promising-looking Pokémon Pokopia life sim.

But as the Switch 2 prepares to celebrate its first anniversary in June, all eyes will be on Nintendo to roll out a truly new blockbuster entry in one of its biggest franchises. Back in 2017, Switch 1's first year was marked by the launch of both Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo has not released a major new 3D Mario platformer since, while it will soon be three years since the arrival of 2023's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Switch 1's other top-selling titles include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Animal Crossing: New Horizons — and for now, there's no suggestion a big new entry in either franchise is forthcoming. Smash Bros. series boss Masahiro Sakurai has only just finished work on Kirby Air Riders, while Nintendo is opting to update New Horizons for Switch 2 this year, as previously mentioned.

Could we see a new 3D Mario in 2026? Nine years on from Super Mario Odyssey, now feels like the right time. And then there's Pokémon, which celebrates its 30th anniversary next month. Could we get a glimpse soon of the series' long-awaited 10th generation? The arrival of these titles would certainly help Switch 2 keep its momentum, following last year's explosive launch.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Mission Impossible legend Tom Cruise dropped in on the set of Star Wars: Starfighter via helicopter and ended up filming a lightsaber duel.

Starfighter director Shawn Levy, who also helmed 2024's Marvel hit Deadpool & Wolverine, revealed Cruise's set visit as part of an interview with The New York Times, and said that viewers will be able to watch the actor's work behind the camera when the upcoming Star Wars movie arrives in theaters next year.

"Last week Steven Spielberg was here," Levy recalled. "And now Tom Cruise is wielding a camera, ruining his very nice shoes." The director recalled welcoming Cruise to the set — which he landed on in his own helicopter — by playing the Mission Impossible theme via loudspeakers.

Levy joked that Cruise, who had said he just wanted to visit and watch the filming, should jump behind a camera. But Cruise took Levy's offer seriously, and splashed out into a "muddy pond" to film a lightsaber battle between several unrevealed characters.

Aside from the fact that Tom Cruise helped film some of a major upcoming Star Wars movie — something that is, quite frankly, notable enough — many fans have expressed surprise at this anecdote confirming that lightsaber battles will be a part of Levy's project.

Now, yes, lightsaber battles in a Star Wars movie may not sound like much of a surprise. (Next we'll find out the movie has aliens!) But this confirmation has still raised a few eyebrows among fans today, as Starfighter has — so far at least — been pitched as something unconnected to the wider Skywalker Saga's Jedi shenanigans, and rather more down to earth.

Admittedly, much of Starfighter's plot remains under wraps, but we know that the movie will focus on a scruffy-looking scoundrel-type character played by Ryan Gosling, as well as his young nephew. Production images released by Levy so far have seen the pair next to a speeder and on some kind of sci-fi raft, with a vibe that seems far removed from the franchise's usual galaxy-defining space conflicts.

That said, both Matt Smith and Mia Goth have also been cast on the project, with rumors and fan speculation around their mystery roles suggesting they could be playing members of the Sith. Could the pair fight each other, or does Starfighter also include Jedi that the Doctor Who and Dracula actors both fight together? Time, and also now possibly Tom Cruise, will tell.

"This is a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not a sequel," Levy previously said at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in April. "It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet." Star Wars: Starfighter is currently due to launch on May 28, 2027.

Image credit: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Stranger Things actress Jennifer Marshall, who played Max's mom Susan, has called out her character's absence in the show's final season — and said that being able to film scenes would have helped fund her own cancer treatment.

Marshall appeared in a recurring role during Stranger Things' second season, where Max (played by Sadie Sink) was originally introduced. Marshall then reappeared in the series' fourth run, but was unable to complete filming due to ill health.

The actress and former military veteran publicly announced in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. By the time it came to film Stranger Things' fifth and final season, however, the actress now says she had been in remission.

Nintendo has unveiled its first set of alternative Switch 2 Joy-Con colors, which feature cool pastel shades resembling violet and teal.

Officially named "Light Purple" and "Light Green" (the latter looks closer to blue to my eyes, but sure), these imaginatively-named colors will go on sale alongside the upcoming Mario Tennis Fever on February 12.

If you're keen, you can already pre-order a pair of the new controllers now, at the same $99.99 price point that Nintendo of America sells the original Switch 2 Light Blue and Light Red Joy-Con.

Evidence of an under-wraps third expansion for The Witcher 3 continues to mount, with one report now pointing to a possible 'Dune-style' location for the new adventure.

Word of a fresh DLC for the beloved 2015 blockbuster RPG began bubbling up in earnest last month, fuelled by a set of reports from insiders and apparent teases by developer CD Projekt that it had something secret in the works.

Now, a report by IGN Poland has said its local sources have been aware of potential plans for several years, and that — initially at least — its developers had expressed a keen interest in exploring Zerrikania, an exotic desert region to the far east of The Witcher 3's current map.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has described the franchise's upcoming new Hulu series as a "continuation" of the original — something that inspired its new name.

Speaking on the ShutUpEvan podcast, Gellar said that the new series was best described not as a reboot or even as a full sequel, but as a continued version of the classic series that originally aired from 1997 to 2003. Saying that, however, the new episodes will come with a fresh title.

"It's not a sequel, it's not a reboot," Gellar said. "It's a continuation. I think so, because where she is now in this world and what this world is that Buffy lives in — with her, without her — [that] kind of exploration... It's not a reboot, it's not picking up with all the same characters right away. That's why the name was even important to me, y'know, in Buffy: New Sunnydale. It's Buffy, but it's also something else."

Word that the series would be titled as Buffy: New Sunnydale has previously been rumored, though Gellar's comment serves as confirmation this is the official name for the upcoming show.

Filming for the Buffy: New Sunnydale pilot took place last August, with Gellar herself reprising her iconic role alongside a fresh cast of new characters. Young actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong plays the series' lead, a girl reportedly named Nova. Other cast members play her classmates and teachers at a rebuilt Sunnydale High School.

The project has been spearheaded by Marvel's Eternals director Chloé Zhao, who convinced an initially wary Gellar to return for the project and serve alongside her as an executive producer.

"I always said I would never do it, and I have learned a very hard lesson in life there's a reason why that saying is 'never say never'," Gellar continued. "So I will eat my words and I'm okay with that. I've learned my lesson, that's totally fair. I never saw how to do it. I never saw how and why it could be as good and be... I'm not trying to be better, I just want to hold and honor the memory of what we've created.

"I know sometimes that memory is conflicted for people about how they're supposed to feel about it," she added. "But a lot of people put their blood, sweat and tears into making what I think is an incredibly great show and I'm incredibly proud of it."

While last summer was marked by a flurry of casting activity and set leaks, word on the project's progress quietened during 2025's final months, and the it's unclear what the timeline is for additional episodes to be filmed or broadcast. Gellar noted the ongoing wait for fans to hear more, but said it was more important to not rush and "sully the legacy" of the original show.

"We're still working on that why and how," Gellar concluded. "I know we live in a society where we want binging, we want it now. I know this seems like it's taking a long time, and that's because unless we're sure it's exactly what we set out to do and that it makes sense to do it, we don't want to sully the legacy. When I know it's perfect, then it will be out there. But I won't do it unless I know it can be that."

Image credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

A ratings board leak has detailed Life is Strange: Reunion, a new game in the narrative adventure series that focuses on the return of fan-favorite character Chloe.

Details of Life is Strange: Reunion have now been made public by the European ratings board PEGI, which published a now-deleted plot summary for the game online last night.

Reunion's existance had long been rumored among Life is Strange fans clued into the franchise's ongoing development at troubled studio Deck Nine Games. The expectation is that Reunion will be made official in the imminent future, and launch not long after.

Life is Strange: Reunion is particularly notable as it appears to revive (or return) the character of Chloe, the original game's blue-haired best friend (or love interest) that you could sacrifice (or save) depending on your choices.

Deck Nine's most recent Life is Strange game, Double Exposure, received a negative reaction from many core fans of the series for returning to the story of original main character Max Caulfield in a reality in which Chloe survived the events of the franchise's first game but did not appear in person. Fans of the pair's romantic relationship option were particularly upset, as Double Exposure explained that the two characters were now broken up, seemingly permanently.

Purported leaks from within Deck Nine Games amid this backlash painted a picture of a troubled development, but also mentioned a further game being in the works that did feature Chloe. Reunion certainly seems to be this project — and it will be interesting to see whether its final version feels like it has been shaped by feedback to Double Exposure.

"Chloe Price was Max Caulfield's partner in time," reads a description of the game published by PEGI. "Losing her is Max's greatest regret. Now Chloe has come to Caledon University. Haunted by nightmares and impossible memories, Chloe needs Max's help. But Max is already in crisis: in three days, a deadly inferno will destroy the campus."

Other plot details include a character hallucinating on mushrooms, and a scene where a building is on fire with people trapped inside. The game will reportedly begin with a recap of previous Life is Strange entries, in which it sounds like we'll see Chloe during the events of the first game.

A digital deluxe version of the game will also be offered, containing additional outfits.

Life is Strange: Reunion is yet to be officially announced by publisher Square Enix, but it likely won't be long now. We've contacted the company for more.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social